Design vs Art Blog

Installing the new Firefox 3 was an easy task. The browser seems to work, on a Mac, better than the previous version. Although that, Firefox still has some usability issues. I don’t want to make a complete review but I would like to highlight the first issue I noticed: using the default skin, the tabs are upside down and not linked to the page they refer.

Tabs should be attached to pages. This is not a new idea, as you can see on the picture tabs has been used in this way for ages. When I have doubts about a new design I tend to look for ideas in the real world…

The Firefox 3 Approach

I think that Mozilla was just trying to copy the Apple Safari look without thinking if the Apple solution was perfect. In my opinion this tab design is not going to be a problem at all for old users. On the other side it could be troublesome for inexperienced ones: They just don’t notice that those are tabs.

Tabs are hanging from the Bookmarks Toolbar:

Changing tabs:

Tabs should be linked to the page, not to the menu. A simple mental model…

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Google public transportation directions is a great tool. With it you can easily know how to get to an specific place using the best combination of buses, trains and other kinds of public transportation. This could be a great success in Europe, where people are used to go everywhere by public transportation.

The Power of Design

This kind of websites already exist in Europe but it is usually offered by local companies, like the city-specific Transport for London website. Unfortunately, most of these were not very successful adapting for the web great design developed previously for paper. Last weekend I stopped by the Munich central station to get a paper timetable, old style but easy to understand, even if you don’t speak German language. This is the German Trains timetable for the Berlin - Munich connection:

The Copenhagen city transport website has a less lucky approach, as you can see in the picture below, reading is not that easy. (I use Copenhagen as an example but this is actually happening in several European cities like Munich, London and others).

The Google Design

The Google Maps approach is by far the best I have found. It is clear, fast and has a printer friendly version. It is also highly interactive, something that others don’t have: e.g. the Munich website displays maps only in PDF format (horrible.)

If you are not familiar with the Google public transportation service, have a look at the following video for a quick introduction. 

Some Problems

Although I love the public transit directions on Google Maps I have some worries:

1. Every time I use Google Maps a new button is placed on the map,

2. Why can I edit origin and destination from several places?

3. Some little things (like the bar at the top of the page) make me think that the whole thing could soon become cluttered. 

More Info

If you are interested on maps and timetable designs I recommend Edward Tufte’s book, "Envisioning Information" for a great inside on the topic.

Tufte’s Website

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